Ride the rapids, skillfully stroke the
calm stretches, rest under a waterfall, tell tall tales afterwards...
 |
| Vision Adventure's river runners Scotty & Dee |
This is not a city adventure for the
faint of heart, but it is a safe yet thrilling run down a might river
with 33 rapids keeping your boat and head spinning.
If you're tired of tame rafting in a
boat with six others vying for a toe hold and piece of the side rope,
then negotiating the river in an inflatable, 2-person kayak with an
experienced guide steering from the rear might feed your adrenaline
addiction just fine.
Two of us - both former rafting guides –
gave the thumbs up to the company and crew of Bali Adventures Tours.
They were the first river tour operator to offer whitewater rafting
on the Agung, and they are the only company with kayaking on offer.
The rafts and kayaks are both high quality boats, and the young male
guides, support crew and porters have impressive skills.
So Scotty and Dee set out on a
beautiful, sunny day to tackle the Class 2, 3 and 4 rapids on a
fast-running 9 km stretch from outside Ubud. Because it was the
tail end of the wet season, the river and rapids were fast and fun,
and we completed the run in under two hours. We did take breaks to
splash the rafters and competitor boats around the spectacular
waterfall. Later we stopped to take photos of stone carvings along
the shore. Looking up, we saw monkeys and lizards, and some stunning
rice terraces high above the gorge. Someone also spotted a snake,
but he was in no mood to pose for tourist cameras and left us alone,
thankfully.
More experienced, Scotty took the kayak
downstream alone, while Dee was happy to ride shotgun with Ketu at
the helm. He expertly negotiated every boulder and suck hole, and
she took all the water in her face and front of the boat. Bail!
Stroke forward! Stroke backwards! Bail!
Scotty loved taking the chutes more
than once, He'd go over, paddle back, and do it all over again. His
head-mounted action camera kept steaming up, so he only has my
testimonial about the truth of this.
Neither of us wanted the day to end.
It was a long haul to get there, a long time waiting for the various
groups to get geared up, and a difficult 600 steep steps down to the
river, but the weather and our guide were wonderful and we'd highly
recommend it for those wanting an adventure first, massage second,
and memory for ever.
On the Richter Scale: 8 out of 10
Value for fun: Great at any price.
Recommended: Medium to Advanced
paddling skills
Also see
You Tube: Kayak Attack
Facebook: Adventure Photo Album
